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Miami Heat to honor fallen soldiers with 'Home Strong' uniforms for Veterans Day
On the 10th anniversary of the team’s “Home Strong” initiative, the Miami Heat are taking their dedication to honoring the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces to another level this season.
The Heat have honored veterans at every home game since 2006, and last year the team unveiled military-themed “Home Strong” uniforms, which players wore for games around Veterans Day. Now, each team member will sport the name of one fallen service member on his “Home Strong” jersey.
“We introduced the uniforms last year, but we wanted to see if we could take the commitment that we have to the military to another level,” said Heat chief marketing officer Michael McCullough, “to honor one member of the military who gave his life in service of the country by putting a patch of that soldier’s name here on the players’ jerseys.”
Heat players will wear the uniforms for the team’s next five games, including home games against the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz on Thursday and Saturday — the days before and after Veterans Day:
Nov. 7: at Oklahoma City
Nov. 10: vs. Chicago
Nov. 12: vs. Jazz
Nov. 14: at Spurs
Nov. 15: vs. Hawks
Each member of the Heat roster, along with the coaching staff and team president Pat Riley, will honor the following fallen service members with their names on their left breast over the next week:
Goran Dragic: Army Capt. Josh McClimans
Hassan Whiteside: U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Bruce Carter
Udonis Haslem: Army Lt. Col. Edmundo Lluberes
Justise Winslow: Army Pfc. Brandon Sapp
Dion Waiters: Army Spc. Bernard Hill Jr.
Tyler Johnson: Army Sgt. Humberto Timoteo
James Johnson: Army Staff Sgt. Lyle Turnbull
Josh McRoberts: U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Martin Gonzales
Josh Richardson: Air Force Staff Sgt. David Horney IV
Willie Reed: Army Sgt. Thomas Bohall
Luke Babbitt: Army Pfc. Ashley Williams
Rodney McGruder: Army Sgt. 1st Class Larry Vaquero
Wayne Ellington: Army Sgt. Kyle Henry
Derrick Williams: Army Staff Sgt. Lillian Clamens
Pat Riley: Army Spc. Daniel Agami
Juwan Howard: Army Spc. Gerardo Campos
Dan Craig: Army Pfc. Marius Ferrero
Erik Spoelstra: Army Spc. Christopher Nguyen
Chris Quinn: Army Sgt. Robert Wise
Jay Sabol: U.S. Navy Seaman William Ortega
The Heat posted a video that included footage of the emotional meetings between players and family members of the fallen soldiers. Both sides were brought to tears by the team’s gesture.
“It just means so much to me because I look up to the men and women who represent us every day,” Heat veteran Udonis Haslem said of Lt. Col. Edmundo Lluberes. “What I do is just the game of basketball. People like him inspire me. I will represent his family the best way I know how.”
Riley launched the “Home Strong” program in 2006 “because I wanted to respond to the endless letters of encouragement I received from members of the U.S. Military stationed overseas.” In addition to honoring military members before each home game, the Heat have led charitable efforts to benefit numerous charities. The program is not part of last year’s “paid patriotism” controversy in sports.
A portion of the proceeds from the team’s “Home Strong” collection of jerseys and clothing will benefit the Fisher House of Miami, which provides accommodations for families of veterans and military service members receiving care at the Bruce W. Carter VA Medical Center in South Florida.
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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach